Kinder, Gentler Gotham Thread

[Guest Edgy DC]

Mark, stick around for the chat with Steve Zabriskie.

[Guest Mark Healey]

A couple of updates:

After Dallas: Revised Top 10

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1820

New Hidden Ball

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1802

New Out of Bounds

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1822

[Guest Mark Healey]

Edgy DC wrote: Mark, stick around for the chat with Steve Zabriskie.

I will...thanks

[nymr83]

"file not found" on the top one of the 3 links, healey. (the other 2 are working fine)

[Guest Mark Healey]

Nymr83 wrote: "file not found" on the top one of the 3 links, healey. (the other 2 are working fine)

Fixed...and thanks for the heads up...

[G-Fafif]

]The Winter Meetings are like a giant class reunion for the world's most social sport. Old friends reconnect, new ones are made and futures are built. And, of course, when people talk, there's no small amount of gossip. Who's going where? Who talked to whom?

Mike McGann's column offers an unusual behind-the-curtain look into how the Winter Meetings operate. Check out how much drinking goes on. The same piece also goes in the anti-igNoble direction and talks up a Met beat writer doing a heckuva job.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1822

[G-Fafif]

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Thanks for your indulgence and, not incidentally, your virtual companionship.


Gotham Baseball Desktop Update

December 21, 2005

EDITOR'S NOTE

About eight months ago, Johnny Damon insisted, "There's no way I can go play for the Yankees." Now he's a surer thing than the 4 train to show up next at 161st Street. Welcome to New York, late December 2005, and welcome to the Gotham Baseball Desktop Update, designed to bring you up to speed on what's going on across all of New York baseball. Every week, and as news warrants, we will bring you the latest happenings in the game and give you a sneak peek into the observations garnered by the GB Staff. Be sure to bookmark http://www.gothambaseball.com and visit our site throughout the week for more. And, most importantly, happy holidays to you and yours.

POSSIBILITIES

Available For The Holidays

--Former Mets and Yankees and potential future Mets and Yankees are among baseball's non-tendered.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1886

Rumor Mill: Kent Go Home Again?

--Mets and Dodgers talk second base trade.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1871

TRANSACTIONS

All That And Bernie, Too

Williams reportedly signs one-year pact with Yankees.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1889

Money Talks, Idiot Walks

--Four years, $52 million lure Johnny Damon to the Bronx.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1884

Yank Pen Up An Octavio

--Dotel returns to town, albeit a different side of it.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1883

Villone Again (Naturally)

--Cashman reels in a Fish of his own.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1847

INSIGHTS

The War At Home

--Mike McGann: Johnny Damon in center means the Yankees are in a battle royale with the Mets.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1887

Why Not Grudzielanek? Kaz, That's Why

--Mark Healey: Omar would love a new second baseman but he's still got to move the old one.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1855

DEVELOPMENTS

Beyond The $200 Million Men

--Gotham's Top 10 Yankee Prospects await their chance.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1444

OPINION

They Call It 'Second' Base for a Reason

--Greg W. Prince: Maybe the Mets can get by with three infielders.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1877

And To All, An Appropriate Gift

--Chip Armonaitis: Santa's getting an earful from baseball.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1865

Innocent Childhood Memories of Profit & Loss

--Aaron Ross: Baseball cards were my business.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1842

What In The World?

--Cecilia Tan: Careful what you call Classic.
http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1831


HISTORY

12/26/1919: Yankees agree to acquire a star Red Sox outfielder who scored more than 100 runs last season and promises to tangibly alter the relationship between the two franchises. And, no, it wasn't Johnny Damon.

12/21/1948: Dave Kingman born. Is reportedly unhappy.

12/25/1958: Rickey Henderson born and immediately learns to walk.

12/23/1975: Arbitrator Peter Seitz ushers in free agency era with decision in the Messersmith/McNally case. Two-year-old Johnny Damon taken for his first haircut.

12/21/1978: Cartoonist Willard Mullin dies. He was a Jint among men. A Bum, too.

12/23/1996: Mets sign Todd Pratt. You never saw somebody so happy to leave a Domino's.

12/23/1999: Mike Hampton traded to the Mets from Houston. NYC schools enter holiday recess.

12/27/2001: Mets rid themselves of Kevin Appier's ridiculous contract by exchanging it for Mo Vaughn's ludicrous contract.

12/24/2002: Yankees reach agreement with pitcher Jose Contreras. Contreras goes on to pitch White Sox to world championship. That wasn't part of the agreement.

ONE MORE THING
The most home runs hit by a manager who led his team to a world championship were 370, by Gil Hodges, skipper of the 1969 New York Mets. Conversely, the world championship manager who hit the most home runs was longtime Brooklyn Dodgers slugger Gil Hodges. Either way, he's still not in the Hall of Fame.

COMING UP IN GOTHAM BASEBALL MAGAZINE
Our Winter 2006 issue will salute the city's player of the year and the best of the minors and the majors. Plus...
--A First Look at SNY
--A Last Look at Piazza
--An In-Depth Look at the New York baseball psyche
Winter 2006: On Sale in February.

SUBSCRIBE OR ORDER BACK ISSUES
http://www.gothambaseball.com/subscribe.html

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Matsui will accept a trade to LA, so why are the Mets offering Hernandez?

I don't think Kent's old enough to qualify for the Mets' hire-a-retread policy. Better wait another year or two.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I'm sure the Mets would rather deal Matsui than Hernandez. Maybe the Dodgers prefer Hernandez to Matsui. (He is cheaper.)

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I'm sure the Mets would rather deal Matsui than Hernandez. Maybe the Dodgers prefer Hernandez to Matsui. (He is cheaper.)

So am I sure. But we're not in the business of giving the Dodgers our young, affordable prospects for their over the hill 2b men who will make us sit Matui.

[Elster88]

Bret Sabermetric wrote: I don't think Kent's old enough to qualify for the Mets' hire-a-retread policy. Better wait another year or two.

Who are we talking about here? Mo Vaughn? Robbie Alomar? Keep up with current events.

Or do you mean Delgado and Wagner?

Sure, if I had my druthers, I'd rather have two fat-ass, forty-year-old, broken-down has-beens (apparently non-retreads because they aren't old enough) like Wells and Schilling heading my rotation in 2006.

But I'll take the Met retreads of Pedro and Glavine if I have to. Just me wearing my blue and orange spectacles.

(No, I'm not mad, just passing along some updated roster info. The hire-a-retread policy isn't in effect anymore.)

]But we're not in the business of giving the Dodgers our young, affordable prospects for their over the hill 2b men who will make us sit Matui.

What's this "we" stuff? You back on the bandwagon? Maybe since the Met outlook in '06 is better than the Sawx you're going to dust off the old Met cap?

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Elster88 wrote: [ What's this "we" stuff? You back on the bandwagon? Maybe since the Met outlook in '06 is better than the Sawx you're going to dust off the old Met cap?

Slipped up.

[Elster88]

Come back to the side of truth and justice.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Interesting piece by Dubya today.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1992

One of the wonderful and scary differences between 1955 and 2005, I think, is that this fabulous new media we got here will turn anyone who doesn't smash the hell out of their pitch into a blacksmith.

[G-Fafif]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Interesting piece by Dubya today. http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1992 One of the wonderful and scary differences between 1955 and 2005, I think, is that this fabulous new media we got here will turn anyone who doesn't smash the hell out of their pitch into a blacksmith.

Or a private household laundress. There were 372 of those living in New York in 1950, according to that year's Census, zero now. I couldn't think of a tasteful way to work that into the column, though I suppose more dirty laundry gets aired now versus then. And it barely goes through the rinse cycle.